Incredible moment meteor shower lights up sky as rare ‘smiley face’ planetary alignment happens overnight

Spectacular footage shows a meteor shower lighting up the sky ahead of a rare ‘smiley face’ planetary alignment.

Lyrid meteor shower

The Lyrid meteor shower is a burst of meteor activity occurring around mid to late April.

In 2025, the Lyrid meteor shower will be active between April 16 to April 25.

A dark site with an unobstructed view of the sky would be the best environment to catch the meteor shower.

Rare 'smiley face' celestial alignment

There’s set to be a rare ‘smiley face’ planetary alignment in the early morning sky, around 05:00 BST, on April 25.

The ‘smiley face’ is made up of an alignment of Venus, Saturn and the crescent Moon.

To see the smiley face, you'll need a clear eastern horizon and clear weather, plus good timing.